PS3's HDMI output blanks out every few minutes!

I've had this problem from a LOOONG time. Sometimes it is non-existent, and I play for hours without a hiccup, sometimes it happens a couple times and it is okay. Sometimes, like today, it happens every 5 minutes or even sooner and it is driving me nuts.

Let me explain. I have a monitor with a DVI input. I have a cable with HDMI input and DVI output pins, so I connect it to the HDMI on the PS3 and DVI input on the monitor. Since both are digital, and since there is a one-to-one mapping for the pins it works fine. I do it with my PC too, and it works 100% without every causing a hiccup. Ever.

However, every now and then, this setup causes the signal from the PS3 to blank out for a few seconds or even a minute. Every time it happens, I have to pause the game and unplug and replug the cable on the PS3 to get back the picture...

I read about this a couple times on several forums, but none gave any clear answer. What's wrong? Is my PS3 faulty? Is the cable faulty? Is this normal behavior? Is it because the PS3 is overheating??

Re: PS3's HDMI output blanks out every few minutes!

this could be a few things but ill start off with a simpler approach then go into the pain in the **bleep**.

1. lower your ps3 settings to max output of 720p. (yea i know it looks better but it really wasnt designed for full HD. My ps3 had done this before and it fixed the problem)

2. Bad HDMI cable ( remember an hdmi cable is the same in all price regions. dont let someone tell you to go out and buy an expensive 100 dollar cable. just dont buy a very cheap one either. like the one cent ones from china or something. those are made of bad quality.)

3. Up to Date HDMI cable (make sure your HDMI cable is a 1.3 cable. from what i read these are up to date cables that can display max and 3d resolution no problem AKA best on the market.)

4. HDMI input is going out on ps3 (its not unheard of and can happen. how is another mystery i have yet to solve but it is a possibility. if you can some how go component try it and see if it works. offical sony component cables can do 1080p. the bad thing is the colors arent as vivid with some saturation to the picture. the plus is... and i will freaking dispute this to the day i die.... the plus is that it limits textures from being really pixelated and cuts controller and game lag by a significant amount. you are using an analog signal instead of a digital one and analog is proven to be a faster signal. oh and another bad side using component is the sound wont be as good either. if it still does this with component revert to option one and turn your max display on your ps3 to 720p.

Re: PS3's HDMI output blanks out every few minutes!

this could be a few things but ill start off with a simpler approach then go into the pain in the **bleep**.

1. lower your ps3 settings to max output of 720p. (yea i know it looks better but it really wasnt designed for full HD. My ps3 had done this before and it fixed the problem)

2. Bad HDMI cable ( remember an hdmi cable is the same in all price regions. dont let someone tell you to go out and buy an expensive 100 dollar cable. just dont buy a very cheap one either. like the one cent ones from china or something. those are made of bad quality.)

3. Up to Date HDMI cable (make sure your HDMI cable is a 1.3 cable. from what i read these are up to date cables that can display max and 3d resolution no problem AKA best on the market.)

4. HDMI input is going out on ps3 (its not unheard of and can happen. how is another mystery i have yet to solve but it is a possibility. if you can some how go component try it and see if it works. offical sony component cables can do 1080p. the bad thing is the colors arent as vivid with some saturation to the picture. the plus is... and i will freaking dispute this to the day i die.... the plus is that it limits textures from being really pixelated and cuts controller and game lag by a significant amount. you are using an analog signal instead of a digital one and analog is proven to be a faster signal. oh and another bad side using component is the sound wont be as good either. if it still does this with component revert to option one and turn your max display on your ps3 to 720p.

these are probably your best options. good luck and keep gaming.

Firstly, I am using 720p. Secondly, it ain't a TV, just a monitor I use for my PC and PS3 simultaneously. And finally, this happened with an old monitor of mine and it is happening with this too. And also as I said my PC can display the image at a higher resolution than the PS3 on it just fine, never a hiccup. So, that means the monitor is fine. But, I can't rule out the possibility that something is messed up with the cable.

Sometimes this is not a problem at all as I can play on the PS3 for hours without a hitch. Sometimes, like recently, its been more bothersome. I think it depends "how" I put the cord into the PS3, sometimes it works like a charm for hours and days.

May be I should get a better cable, cause this problem comes and goes almost from the day I got the PS3...

Re: PS3's HDMI output blanks out every few minutes!

^^ OH GOD! I hope that doesn't happen to me. Yeah, I hope it's a bad cable. I bought my PS3 absolutely brand new. And as far as I can tell, this has been happening for a long time, almost from day one. Perhaps a month or two into using my PS3, maybe.

Re: PS3's HDMI output blanks out every few minutes!

I want to add that the problem seems to depend on the game I play. I noticed this before.

On some games, like "The Walking Dead" which I was playing recently, the issue is terrible, causing this problem every 5-10 minutes. On other games, it is nearly non-existent. For example, I played inFamous 2 for about 3 hours without facing the problem once!